The Sixth Day Exercise for May 14 with Thomas a’Kempis

May 14, 2016

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Quote of the Week

Book I. Section 5. Read the Bible and Good Books

1. Look for truth, not mere eloquence, in Holy Scripture. Read each part of the Bible with the same Spirit who inspired it. Read for profit, not subtle arguments. Read plain and devour books as willingly as the high and profound ones. Don’t allow big-sounding names to overawe you. Great or small learning does not measure the value of a book; Pure truth does. Don’t try to sound learned. Inquire with a willing spirit; listen in silence to the words of the hoy writers. Don’t take an aversion to Bible parables; they have a genuine purpose.

Thomas a’Kempis from his timeless classic, The Imitation of Christ. Edited and paraphrased by my dear friend, the late Don Demaray.

Note to Readers. For the next season ahead I will be sharing excerpts from this book, one of the most significant writings in Christian history, and likely the second best selling book of all time next to the Bible itself.

In case you are just joining us, each week we share in an exercise called “The Sixth Day Exercise.” As Genesis 1 has it, God created human beings in his own image on the sixth day. Genesis 3 shows us the desecration of the image of God in our race which has only compounded itself across the centuries. It’s why the Image Bearer himself, Jesus Christ, came. His life, death, resurrection and ascension reversed the curse of sin and death and created a pathway whereby our broken race could be made gloriously whole again; restored to the Creator’s intent. Paul put it this way:

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22.

Given we were made on the Sixth Day, it makes sense that we might stop and assess how it’s going on the long journey of being “remade” on each successive sixth day.